Print readers often struggle when they try to navigate or search KansasCity.com. That’s partly because the two platforms are meant to be much different from each other, but editors could make things easier.

Readers of The Kansas City Star often show concern for the effects that news coverage will have on the people involved — particularly when those subjects have died or became involved in the events unwillingly.

It’s difficult to make generalizations, because there are obviously too many print papers in the world for any broad statements to hold true across the board. But you don’t have to spend much time looking at the pages that win awards from organizations such as the Society for News Design to see that in general, pages that make bold visual statements tend to dominate within the industry.

The Star publishes “beat columns,” which aren’t quite opinion pieces, but their presentation leaves something to be desired. These columns generally run on the first of the Local pages, and are labeled “commentary.” They aren’t exactly what The Star’s audience has come to expect with that label, though.

A photo at the top of Page A-4 on June 5 depicted two teenagers practicing skateboarding tricks in the parking lot of an area school. Harmless fun? Not to a reader who called public editor Derek Donovan. The lead story on the cover of the June 8 FYI section, a profile of viral video stars Sam Golbach and Colby Brock, drew related criticism from multiple readers.

One could argue that The Star is being a bit overly scrupulous by covering them all in the same manner. It’s the journalist’s job to separate news wheat from chaff, and readers expect editors to exercise good news judgment.

Some readers applauded the publishing of the story of House Speaker John Diehl’s sexually tinged relationship with a college freshman in a capitol internship program. But I heard more voices critical than complimentary, particularly the reproduction of the text messages in legible form.

As a matter of principle, professional journalists should do everything within their power not to make typographical errors. Misspelling a name or transposing two numbers can introduce a significant error into news coverage. And sometimes those mistakes are serious enough as to require a correction.

The word “thug” is on many people’s lips after the recent unrest in Baltimore surrounding the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. President Barack Obama and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, both of whom are black, both used it to describe those causing mayhem in the city’s streets, but other voices find it problematic.

Today's Circulars

About This Blog

Derek Donovan is The Kansas City Star's public editor. This blog is a place for you to share your thoughts about how The Star and KansasCity.com cover the news. If you share your name or other identifying information when speaking with Derek, he will never publish that information without your prior consent.

Derek has been with the paper since 1995, and he's also director of research and information. He contributes occasional reviews and other articles to the Features sections as well. The emphasis here is always on fairness and accuracy, but all sorts of other topics will come to the forefront, of course.

All Star journalists must follow The Star newsroom's Code of Ethics. The Star and KansasCity.com are for you, and your insights help journalists bring you the news that you need to stay informed and engaged. Share your thoughts. Start a conversation.